Announcements

Underdawg did an excellent job of explaining the rules. Here's the simplified version:
Don't insinuate Pedo. Warning and or timeout for a first offense. PermaFlick for any subsequent offenses
Don't out members. See above for penalties. Caveat: if you have ever used your own real name or personal information here on the forums since, like, ever - it doesn't count and you are fair game.
If you see spam posts, report it to the mods. We do not hang out in every thread 24/7
If you see any of the above, report it to the mods by hitting the Report button in the offending post.
We do not take action for foul language, off-subject content, or abusive behavior unless it escalates to persistent stalking. There may be times that we might warn someone or flick someone for something particularly egregious. There is no standard, we will know it when we see it. If you continually report things that do not fall into rules #1 or 2 above, you may very well get a timeout yourself for annoying the Mods with repeated whining. Use your best judgement.
Warnings, timeouts, suspensions and flicks are arbitrary and capricious. Deal with it. Welcome to anarchy.
If you are a newbie, there are unwritten rules to adhere to. They will be explained to you soon enough.

Great post Simon. I do understand - much better now - and thanks for building out the thoughts.
We'll see who else from the 49er and Moth world gets involved. Frankly I'd love to see Iker give it a go and suspect he'd pick it up quite quickly as well.
So to your point it would seem having Bruni and Ashby not helming seems to work well for their teams.
All to play for... Which is why we watch!

So if you put the wing in the piss early on in the event what could be the best possible final outcome?
Give TH a bit of credit.
Simon, if all this apparent wind gospel stuff were true you'd skip right over mothies and skiffies and go straight to kite board and windsurfing talent. There's plenty more asked of an AC helm than simply sending it and most of these guys are learning to do so as they go. Fak, the best cat sailor in the world isn't even helming and helps TNZ get around the course.
Is TH the talent that say a NO is? No but neither is Nathan the talent that TH is and much has to be seen what actually makes the difference in San Fran next year.
That Artemis won the match racing - which is really all that matters imo - after THAT start to the event speaks volumes. TH will be ready for San Fran. He actually may have had the 'best' week in Naples in terms of learning, progression and experience. Certainly a comprehensive team building week for Artemis.

Loopy rather than citing a reference with no context please just explain what your are pointing out to me?
I'm all for being wrong on this. I love animals and don't even like hurting spiders when cleaning out their webs. I don't hate pit bulls either. I do, however fear their potentially deadly aggression should it ever rear itself.
What little I know supports that pit bulls are the 'best' breed for fighting (a disgusting/cruel practice IMO). There are physical and psychological traits that make this so. There's noting cute to me about this ability and I'm not convinced a great owner, love and/or training can take that potential away. Only a muzzle can but I don't think that's fair to the animal.
Like most of you I feel angry and irritable sometimes. I'm sure like humans it happens to both wild and domesticated animals - you just have a bad day. Any animal having a bad day that becomes angry or frightened enough has the potential to lash out and do harm - just some breeds are more harmful than others.

Come on now OneGuy, all of your points make sense from a master/pet relationship standpoint but you denying your dog is a fighting dog is simply putting the blinders on. You know the history of the breed. You also know if your dog ever decided to attack another dog or person there is no other breed that can do as much harm overall or as quickly. That doesn't seem to bother you and that is your choice. You do sound like you have control over your pet which is fantastic but you simply can't legislate people to be as responsible as you.
Big cats held in captivity never get to kill their own food - would that make you feel any safer in their pen? Drunk/bold idiots who fall into Tiger pens get killed. The animal's nature didn't work out so well for the Siegfried and Roy fellow and he worked with them every day. I'd say he knew more about animal behavior than most and certainly any of us here. I also bet he was as sure about his tigers as you are about your pet - that nothing could EVER go wrong as the relationship was great. I hope you never suffer the same rude awakening.
Genetics are what they are and nothing can change the hardwiring.
Should you pet ever turn on you, your family or another dog rest assured no matter how well you have trained and loved your pet NO ONE will give you the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure you know that to be true and that is your choice.

But the purpose of the breed does. It's like comparing a .22 to an elephant gun .50 cal. Both can kill only one is better at it.
Pits have been bread to fight and all are capable of losing it and doing more harm than any other breed.
Listen, I know there are far more responsible owners than not but to me, again, this is all about potential to harm and a genetic predisposition to grab on and NEVER let go. A dog only has to do this once to have an owner wonder WTF was I thinking?

Your dog is indeed a fighting dog. Just because you haven't trained it that way doesn't change the animal's potential to inflict a deadly bite.
Why do you feel your right to a pet is greater than your communities' right to feel safe? There's no way to ensure people are as responsible as you.
Walking down the street last week some guy with a pit walks by with a really long leash and the dog bore its teeth (my god that is one row of serious teeth!!!) and growled at me - I got off the sidewalk, stepped into a front yard and got out of the way. How is that fair?
You guys believe in handgun ownership. Most countries do not - they legislate the safety of their population. You guys have more handgun and gun deaths than any other country. How is the right to have a pit bull any different?
You are understandably blinded by your love for your dog - I'm not debating it's a nice dog, only what it is capable of. Not all owners are as good as you.

Isn't this all about potential?
Sure there are wonderful pit bulls with careful owners...
But if things do go wrong, and recognizing you can't be in 100% control 100% of the time, do you want the angry dog to be a pit bull or a golden retreiver?
Every dog can go off but few have the potential to kill and dismember.
I've known really nice pit bulls in my time. I've also known a very kind loveable pit bull that turned on one of my friends while in his room as a boy. The dad came in with a bat, was finally able to hit the dog off my buddy, crushed its skull and then rushed my buddy to the hospital.
Should a foolish adult or unknowing child anger a pit bull, the breed has the potential to do the most damage and even kill in many documemnted cases. While only anecdotal, as I have no actual data, many of the attacks that end in fatalaties are the first sign of real aggression shown by th pit bull in question